Unit III: Last unit!
Conservation in an era of global change
How do we define conservation priorities (today)?
What are the challenges to conservation in the era of global change (Wednesday)?
To Start: Conservation is a broad term
What is the grand conservation challenge?
https://conservationxlabs.com/grand-challenges
-
Preserve biological diversity
- from genetic diversity to species diversity to functional diversity to ecosystem diversity
- across spatial scales from local to global…
- across time scales from now to the imaginable future…
- from genetic diversity to species diversity to functional diversity to ecosystem diversity
What is the grand conservation challenge?
https://conservationxlabs.com/grand-challenges
-
Preserve biological diversity
- from genetic diversity to species diversity to functional diversity to ecosystem diversity
- across spatial scales from local to global…
- across time scales from now to the imaginable future…
- amidst uncertainty, in a world that will continue to change
- from genetic diversity to species diversity to functional diversity to ecosystem diversity
What is the grand conservation challenge?
https://conservationxlabs.com/grand-challenges
-
Preserve biological diversity
- from genetic diversity to species diversity to functional diversity to ecosystem diversity
- across spatial scales from local to global…
- across time scales from now to the imaginable future…
- amidst uncertainty, in a world that will continue to change
- with finite resources
- from genetic diversity to species diversity to functional diversity to ecosystem diversity
Defining priorities for conservation (hard choices ahead)
What types of species or ecosystems should be highest priority?
We have millions and millions of species on the planet interacting in complex ecological networks
How should we decide where to put our conservation dollar?
Defining priorities for conservation (hard choices ahead)
What types of species or ecosystems should be highest priority?
- Keystone species?
- Umbrella species?
- Rare species?
- Strong ecological interactors?
Pros and Cons list might look like: - Species under most stress?
- Species most likely to persist?
- Species with economic value to humans?
- Species with cultural significance?
- Species with stakeholder interest?
- Indicator species?
- Charismatic species?
- Old species?
- Young species?
Say we decide to prioritize a favorite species
Of the ~6,500 known amphibians more than 1/3 are threatened with extinction (IUCN Red List)
Which should we prioritize?
Say we decide to prioritize a favorite species
Yellow-legged mountain frog: Several tracktable interventions but each is costly…
Say we decide to prioritize a favorite species
Should we give more conservation attention to the more susceptible (they need our help) or the more resistant (they might actually survive) populations? What would you vote for?
Alternate strategies
Many tractable interventions, but most very costly
Saving the Yellow-legged mountain frog
- Captive breeding
- Antifungal treatments
- Probiotic treatments
- Addressing the threat
- Legislation
What would you vote for?
Defining priorities for conservation
So…first step in conservation planning is to explicitly define conservation priorities
There are some explicit and data-driven ways to do this, for example…
Defining priorities for conservation
Example: selection algorithms are computer algorithms that apply biodiversity optimization rules
Example optimization rules:
-
Complementarity: add areas that contribute most new biodiversity
-
Irreplaceability: add areas with unique species or attributes
- Bang for buck: add areas which maximize environmental benefit while minimizing economic costs
Defining priorities for conservation
Example: The Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered Initiative Zoological Society of London
Uses data from phylogenetic trees to give species a “phylogenetic uniqueness” ranking
Then adds a weight to this score based on IUCN red list risk of extinction.
Defining priorities for conservation
Once conservation targets are selected, what are key management approaches?
-
Fine filter: focus on protecting populations or species
- reducing overharvest
- captive breeding
- translocations
-
Coarse filter: focus on protecting ecosystems or landscapes
- creating reserves
- re-establishing corridors
- re-establishing natural disturbance regimes
- enhancing habitat in high modified settings
Flexibilities and complexities
Flexible levels of access: Corridors and reserves can be static or flexible (e.g., dynamic rules to reduce detrimental synergies).
For example, like closing dive tourism in coral reefs during heavy storm seasons
vs
Building wildlife corridors to cross highways
Flexibilities and complexities
There have been some captive breeding “success stories”
Flexibilities and complexities
There have been some captive breeding “success stories” and other high profile attempts
Flexibilities and complexities
There have been some captive breeding “success stories” and other high profile attempts
You are less likely though to hear about captive breeding failures, even though they constitute the majority of them
Flexibilities and complexities
There have been some captive breeding “success stories” and other high profile attempts… but only effective when coupled with efforts to reduce threats
Flexibilities and complexities
Adaptive management: Learning-by-doing
Flexibilities and complexities
The law of unintended consequences (aka hubris): “intervention in a complex system tends to create unanticipated and often undesirable outcomes”
And complex systems include humans!
Should we micromanage nature?
Many projects kill plant/animal species based on the mistaken assumption that another plant or animal will benefit
Nature Conservancy decimated the population of rare Arctic grayling fish in Montana by damming the streams to create ponds for the benefit of the equally rare trumpeter swan
Grayling spawned in those streams and the population plummeted when the streams were dammed
Scientists are trying to compensate for the damage to the grayling population by killing cutthroat trout that is considered a predator
